NBA fines Knicks' Julius Randle $50K for altercation during game vs. Suns

Knicks power forward Julius Randle has been fined $50K by the NBA, the league announced. He was fined for initiating an on-court altercation with Suns forward Cameron Johnson, making contact with a game official and for not complying with an NBA investigation.

Randle received two technicals and was ejected for the incident, while Johnson received one. It occurred with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of New York’s 115-114 loss at Phoenix on Friday night.

Randle had 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes when he was tossed from the game. The Knicks were leading at the time, but wound up losing when Johnson banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving New York its 17th defeat in the last 20 games.

The Knicks reportedly have concerns about Randle’s “overall psyche” after the latest in a series of incidents from the 27-year-old. Randle’s behavior is potentially a long-term concern for the franchise considering that he received a four-year, $117M extension during the offseason, including a player option in 2025-26.

The reigning Most Improved Player, Randle has taken a step back from his Second-Team All-NBA performance from last season. He’s still posting nice counting stats of 19.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, but his shooting line of .417/.301/.765 has fallen off from last season’s .456/.411/.811, his turnovers are up and his assists are down. Randle has also been lackadaisical at times defensively after showing great effort on that end last season.